Rage therapy: Harnessing anger to find relief and relaxation

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Most people walk into a yoga class expecting a serene, quiet environment. But not in rage yoga. Expect cursing, heavy metal music, and even beer.

“You’re allowed to scream. How many times do you want to just scream at the top of your lungs and somebody says, ‘No, that’s not OK?’ Here we say that’s absolutely OK,” said rage yoga instructor, Michelle Sharif.

Her class, offered through Bottoms Up! Yoga and Brew, was sold out. Rage therapy appears to be catching on.

People who need an outlet for their anger are also seeking out rage rooms.

“We were not anticipating the high amount of volume, people like cancer patients who said how much it made them feel better, to everyday people who want to fulfill a fantasy to feel what it’s like to smash things,” said Jon Lonsdorf, co-owner of Rage Room Ohio.

Coming up on 19 News at 11, find out what a clinical psychologist says about this approach to release. And hear from a cancer patient who calls the rage room “relaxing.”

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